Have U.S. Family Planning Programs Improved the Economic Circumstances of Children?

Recent Congressional budget deliberations have included proposals to cut all funding for Title X of the Public Health Service Act—legislation which has funded U.S. domestic family planning programs since 1970. Although proponents of these cuts often justify them in terms of the immediate cost savings, understanding their longer-term impact on costs and well-being are crucial to weighing these proposals. The proposed project uses restricted Census data to examine the longer-term effects of family planning programs on the material well-being of children and persistence of poverty.